Bilstein 5100 adj shocks (front and rear)

tmoneyr007 · January 13, 2016

Just got the shock's installed with an alignment. EASILY worth the $, truck rides Sooo much smoother, no more 3rd gear clunk. It's like moving from a comfortable couch to that big leather recliner that you fall asleep in.....

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/180370-tmoneyr007-2014-sierra-z71/?p=1740952

crushNchowda · January 20, 2016

just had the 5100's installed on my truck today all 4 corners, fronts @ highest setting, and swapped stock rear blocks out for 2.25" ready lift kit adding 1" rake back in. Too dark to post any pics that would be worth looking at, but essentially it sits like a heavy duty truck now....or how any truck "should" look from the factory IMO.

Good thing is my shop did the install + alignment for $340, bad thing is they installed the rear shocks incorrectly - dust boot up instead of down - apparently others have made this mistake, wouldn't bother me except I made sure to tell them it was the opposite of how most rear shocks go on!!!! I said "make sure you can read the writing" - and the tech said, "oh i thought you meant make sure you can SEE the writing" - LOL, honestly can't tell if it effected the ride or not as anything is better than the ranchos....noticeably more controlled, not "firm" in a bad way - a good way. Truck is more planted.

They told me to take it back to re-tighten everything within 50 miles so looks like they'll also be re-INSTALLING the rears, but @ a shop w/ lifts and air tools that's literally a 20-30 minute fix.

I will post some pics when its light out. I am running 275/55/20 Michelin snow tires at the moment, I want to add BFG KO2's in the spring, but honestly it doesn't look bad w/ the stock sized tires on there, I'm more interested in adding the BFG's in 275/65 more for the look of the tire and the extra 1" or so of height than I am for any concern that there is too much dead space in the wheel wells - like I said doesn't really look weird in person at all.

jrob56 · January 21, 2016

just had the 5100's installed on my truck today all 4 corners, fronts @ highest setting, and swapped stock rear blocks out for 2.25" ready lift kit adding 1" rake back in. Too dark to post any pics that would be worth looking at, but essentially it sits like a heavy duty truck now....or how any truck "should" look from the factory IMO.

Good thing is my shop did the install + alignment for $340, bad thing is they installed the rear shocks incorrectly - dust boot up instead of down - apparently others have made this mistake, wouldn't bother me except I made sure to tell them it was the opposite of how most rear shocks go on!!!! I said "make sure you can read the writing" - and the tech said, "oh i thought you meant make sure you can SEE the writing" - LOL, honestly can't tell if it effected the ride or not as anything is better than the ranchos....noticeably more controlled, not "firm" in a bad way - a good way. Truck is more planted.

They told me to take it back to re-tighten everything within 50 miles so looks like they'll also be re-INSTALLING the rears, but @ a shop w/ lifts and air tools that's literally a 20-30 minute fix.

I will post some pics when its light out. I am running 275/55/20 Michelin snow tires at the moment, I want to add BFG KO2's in the spring, but honestly it doesn't look bad w/ the stock sized tires on there, I'm more interested in adding the BFG's in 275/65 more for the look of the tire and the extra 1" or so of height than I am for any concern that there is too much dead space in the wheel wells - like I said doesn't really look weird in person at all.

Pics?

Clocked92 · January 21, 2016

I am getting my Bilstein 5100's installed in the front tomorrow. I haven't ordered the rear shocks yet but I likely will this summer and install them myself in the driveway.

As for tires, I ordered KO2's yesterday in 275/60R20. They should be here in 1-2 weeks. Got a great deal on them and they are gonna give me $500 for my factory SRA's that have 12,000km on them.

They had the 275/65R20's in stock and I was tempted to go with them but I really don't want to rub any.

abager2 · January 21, 2016

been reading the forum and just read all 25 pages of this post...have yet to find anyone thats installed 5100's on a 2014 reg cab shortbed z71 with max trailering and rancho shocks for comparison....i ordered shocks last week..recd the fronts right away from streetside auto..they were a few bucks higher but had them in stock....ordered rears from autoanything as they confirmed they were in stock and gave me a good deal...i get email yesterday that they lied and they wouldnt ship til february?? they got my order, since they lied to me, but it will be the last....would really like to hear from someone with experience with these and a reg cab shortbed...would i be okay to go ahead and put the fronts on until i get the rears...kinda curious how the shorty truck balances out...im gonna set them at 2nd to highest setting and may take out the rear spacer blocks if the rear is still high when i get the rear shocks...any input??

crushNchowda · January 21, 2016

Pics?

See attached pics from this morning, light was a bit dim, but you can clearly tell the difference from stock stance. Unfortunately was too dark when I dropped it off for the install I forgot to take a good "before" shot, I may be able to find a decent one someplace. I definitely will remove the lower valence - I think it will complete the look, and I'm going to have the shop flip the rears so their in the correct position, although to be honest I noticed nothing weird in the ride - its just way better than stock!!

I would like opinions for when I add 286/65/20 BFG KO2's - and they will be the primary tire 9 months of the year - would you mount them on the black granite alloy wheels in these pics or the stock All terrain 20"s? ON the one hand the stock AT rims are "nicer" in terms of finish & quality I think, and IMO are one of the best looking wheels GM has ever made. On the other hand I'm fairly certain the granite alloy wheels are a good amount lighter than the stock AT's - I always notice the winter tire setup is easier to move around though I've never weighed them. It would be nice to offset some of the weight gain from the beefier BFG's by mounting them on a lighter wheel - on the other hand I still like the look of the stock AT's, they have a better finish/clear coat, and are by default more valuable so the option of taking them off in the winter is nice too.

EDIT - forgot to mention, my measured height difference from top of front tire to bottom of wheel well/fender liner in front was a hair over 2" - like 2.1...so I dunno if there is "settling" that will occur, or if the shop inflated my tires more but it was def more than the 1.87" advertised. Not going to complain on that one.

Edited January 21, 2016 by crushNchowda

Dexter10 · January 21, 2016

Truck looks great. I just picked up a 15 Sierra and realized they went away from torsion bars. Out of the loop I guess.

Can you re use the stock spring from the front shocks to go on the 5100s?

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bdbake01 · January 21, 2016

Yep, no prob

Dexter10 · January 22, 2016

Thanks

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Clocked92 · January 25, 2016

Installed my 5100's in the front last Friday.

My measurements are as follows:

Factory

Front Left = 36.25" Front Right= 36.625"

After 5100's

Front Left = 38.25" Front Right = 38.50"

Both shocks were set to max height setting.

I paid $300 for the pair of shocks and another $300 for install and alignment. So $600 all in to level my truck which I though was a pretty good deal. I know a guy who had the dealer install a Readylift 2" kit and they charged him $1200 parts and labour.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Clocked92

jrob56 · January 25, 2016

Installed my 5100's in the front last Friday.

My measurements are as follows:

Factory

Front Left = 36.25" Front Right= 36.625"

After 5100's

Front Left = 38.25" Front Right = 36.50"

Both shocks were set to max height setting.

I paid $300 for the pair of shocks and another $300 for install and alignment. So $600 all in to level my truck which I though was a pretty good deal. I know a guy who had the dealer install a Readylift 2" kit and they charged him $1200 parts and labour.

Not bad, think Im going to tackle it myself this spring to save the coin. Im guessing that front right after should be 38.5?

Clocked92 · January 25, 2016

Not bad, think Im going to tackle it myself this spring to save the coin. Im guessing that front right after should be 38.5?

Yes that's right. Will edit it in the original post.

abager2 · February 1, 2016

has anyone noticed a break in period on these 5100's at all....Installed fronts and rears saturday on my 2014 reg cab std bed lt z71 with max trailering and I cannot tell a bit of difference over the factory ranchos as far as ride...I went for the 2nd highest setting as some folks have said the top setting was a bit stiff...im a bit disappointed after spending the $$$ and especially since my ranchos had 32000 miles on them....I hope they soften up a tad...did raise the front up a little..still not level, but I could remove rear spacer and it would be real close....

2014WhiteSierra · February 1, 2016

hey guys, new to the forum, I just came out of a 2007 Avalanche LTZ with autoride air suspension and Michelin LTX on 20's which rode beautifully. Now I have a 2014 Denali 6.2L with 20's. Just put the same Michelin's on the denali, 275/50R20 which helped a bit (32-34psi) but the ride is just way too stiff and rough for me, it feels like a 2500 or 3500 to me. When I make turns at intersections with potholes it loses its composure easily, jitters and hops all over the place. I feel like a bobble head driving around town. I had an aluminum folding ramp in the bed, when I hit a few small bumps I could hear it going airborne and banging all over the place, sounded horrific.

I've read many threads here, but before I pull trigger on shocks I was hoping for a few opinions.

I really don't want to put 200-300lbs worth of sandbags in the bed.

I just ordered the sulastic shackles for the rear leaf springs to help isolate vibration.

I'm about to pull the trigger on rear shocks, I see alot about the bilstein 5100 here, but bilstein also makes much better models too, why only the 5100 discussed? I also see the Fox IFP, the King Shock 25001, & the pro comp as well... price is important but not a deal breaker.

So which shock will give me the softest ride? Not worried about payload or towing. Do those remote reservoirs I see on some of the shocks help with smoothness?

Thanks all.

crushNchowda · February 3, 2016

Have some more (better) pics of my truck w/ bilstein 5100s all 4 corners, fronts highest setting, 2.25" rear blocks, front valence/splitter remover (looks WAY better IMO), riding on 275/55/r20 Michelin snows...not looking bad, but in spring going for a 275/60 or 275/65 aggressive tread.